VZCZCXYZ0021
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDM #2327/01 1380941
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O 180941Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9067
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 5960
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 3824
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 2337
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 7030
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0998
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 4402
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 0625
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCPA//
INFO RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA 6766

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 002327 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR PA, NEA/ARN, INR/IC/CD, INR/S:STHIBEAULT AND 
JMCCARTER, VOA NEWS CA, NEA/PPD:CBOURGEOIS, DBENZE AND 
AFERNANDEZ, IIP/G/NEA-SA RWINCHESTER 
WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC 
CENTCOM FOR CCPA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMDR PREL KPAO OPRC SY
SUBJECT: Damascus Media Reaction: Syria/Sudan, Lebanon, Olmert's 
Visit to US, Iraq (5/17) 
 
 
¶1. Summary: Syrian papers reported the visit to Damascus by al- 
Sammani al-Wasila al-Smmani, Sudanese Minister of State for 
Foreign Affairs, and his meeting with Vice President Shara who 
confirmed Syria's relief over signing the Abuja peace treaty. 
During the meeting Shara stressed Syria's support for Sudan as 
well as the Arab-African efforts to solve the Darfur issue. Both 
sides discussed the international situations and latest 
developments in the Arab arena. 
 
On Lebanon, papers reported that President Lahoud's meeting with 
former Lebanese Minister Wadi al-Khazen, during which he 
reiterated the importance of continuing the Lebanese National 
Dialogue to find solutions to the pending problems and issues. 
President Lahoud said "dialogue is the only way to keep stability 
in the country." He called on all participants in the conference 
to offer all possible efforts and work seriously to achieve 
progress in the national dialogue. He also called for extending 
the agenda of the dialogue to include economic and social issues, 
asserting the importance of the participation of all the Lebanese 
in the economic and financial policy based on the outcome of 
general national reconciliation. 
 
Papers also reported that the Syrian Nationalist Socialist Party 
in Lebanon has underlined that Lebanon cannot isolate itself from 
its firm national and pan-Arab stances or from its position at 
the heart of the Arab-Israeli struggle. In a statement the party 
called for gearing all efforts and capabilities to face sedition 
plots targeting Lebanon. The statement also criticized honoring 
John Bolton, US Ambassador to the United Nations, by the so- 
called March 14th forces, "there is no justification for such 
honoring and such a step must only be received by condemnation," 
the statement added. 
 
All papers reported that the Permanent Office of Arab Lawyers' 
Union expressed full support for Syria in the face of pressures 
and plots aiming to impose solutions of surrender upon Syria. A 
statement issued by the Union rejected any kind of politicization 
of the UN investigation into the crime that claimed the life of 
Rafik al-Hariri, "Syria's sovereignty should never be touched," 
the statement underlined.  The office also expressed rejection of 
Zionist practices against Syrian citizens in the Golan and all 
Israeli measures to annex the Golan. 
 
End of summary. 
 
¶2.  Selected Headlines: 
 
"Vice President Shara and Sudanese FM Al-Sammani discuss the 
international situation and latest Arab developments. Shara 
confirms Syria's support of Sudan and expresses relief over the 
Aboja peace agreement" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 5/17) 
 
"The presidency file is removed from the Lebanese National 
Dialogue agenda. The issue of Hizbollah arms is to be removed 
from the dialogue agenda too. Lahoud: Washington and Paris will 
not give preference to Lebanon over Israel" (Government-owned Al- 
Ba'th, 5/17) 
 
"Al-Saniora rejects considering the anniversary of liberating 
south Lebanon as a national holiday" (Government-owned Al-Ba'th, 
5/17) 
 
"Iraqi PM Al-Malki finalizes his cabinet and will refer it to the 
Parliament today. Three US soldiers, 23 Iraqis killed in Baghdad" 
(Government-owned Tishreen, 5/17) 
 
"Olmert adopts misleading step prior to his visit to Washington. 
Abbas reminds the European Parliament of its commitments and 
confirms Israeli obstacles to peace" (Government-owned Tishreen, 
5/17) 
 
"Palestinian PM Hanieh calls on Europeans to take courageous 
positions" (Government-owned Al-Thawra, 5/17) 
 
"Arab lawyers reiterate support for Syria and reject Zionist 
practices in the Golan" (Government-owned Tishreen, 5/17) 
 
 
¶3.  Editorial Block Quotes: 
 
--------------------------- 
 
"Why the Draft Resolution?" 
 
--------------------------- 
 
Umar Jaftali, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, 
commented (5/17): "What drives President Bush's administration 
to escalate its hostility toward Syria? And what are the 
dimensions of the American attempts to obtain a Security Council 
resolution calling for the establishment of diplomatic relations 
between Syria and Lebanon...? 
 
"Damascus repeatedly announced that its doors are open to 
everyone to examine the remaining small problems, including the 
demarcation of the border between the two countries. But some 
instigators wager on the foreign factor and fabricate escalation 
inside Lebanon and in Lebanon's relations with Syria. The 
climate of the previous national dialogue sessions reflected 
this and showed that these people are part of a plan that has 
been accurately prepared since the adoption of Resolution 1559 
to link Lebanon to the Israeli-American alliance. 
 
"Amid this tense climate inside Lebanon and in its relations 
with Syria, the US Administration finds its chance to proceed 
with its plan of fragmenting the region and tightening control 
over it, to fabricate problems and disputes and take them to the 
Security Council with a view to internationalizing even small 
issues like the demarcation of borders or the establishment of 
diplomatic relations. 
 
"In addition to being an assault on the UN Charter and setting a 
serious precedent for the United Nations, whose resolutions are 
controlled by the world's only superpower, the draft resolution 
that was submitted to the Security Council is another American 
way to harm Syria and create problems with it.... Syria has 
always sought to implement UN resolutions to serve justice and 
safeguard the rights of nations. Needless to say, if those known 
resolutions had been implemented, there would have been no 
crises in the region, crises caused by the occupation and the 
full American support for Israel. 
 
"The US Administration never worked for the sake of Lebanon; its 
actions were always meant to serve Israel. This administration 
wants Lebanon to serve as a bridge for it to cross toward other 
targets that are no longer secret to anyone, especially at this 
delicate stage. 
 
"Syria considers the draft resolution a blatant interference in 
Syrian-Lebanese relations, and it calls for vigilance amid this 
atmosphere where the Bush administration and Israel want to drag 
the region, including Lebanon, to the unknown." 
 
------------------ 
 
"Satanic Alliance" 
 
------------------ 
 
Isam Dari, an editorialist in government-owned Tishreen, wrote 
(5/17): "The United States, as usual, will open its arms, eyes, 
ears, heart, and weapons arsenals to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud 
Olmert when he visits Washington next week.... 
 
"The United States can love Israel as much as it wants. We have 
no right to interfere in its domestic affairs. But we, in 
return, ask President Bush not to interfere in our domestic 
affairs.... There are reports that Olmert will discuss with the 
US president the deployment of Lebanese Army in south Lebanon 
and the Iranian nuclear crisis and that he will link Iran, 
Syria, Hizballah, and the HAMAS-led Palestinian government.... 
 
"We realize that Bush and his neoconservatives and the American 
 
intelligence agencies will warmly welcome these Israeli 
priorities and adopt them as American priorities, because the 
American policy is cooked in the Israeli kitchen. We also 
realize that our modest demand -- noninterference in our 
domestic affairs in Syria and the Arab countries -- will fall on 
deaf American-Israeli ears. This is why we reject and denounce 
this hostile, satanic alliance...." 
 
Seche